If the gun is NOT proofed for nitro then don't use it! it could be the last thing you do.
If the gun is NOT proofed for nitro then don't use it! it could be the last thing you do.
"Men occasionally stumble on the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened" Winston Churchill
http://planetairgun.com/index.php
I have been shooting old Winchesters for 30 years and have a 1876 Winchester carbine that the 45-75 round was developed for black power use.
This rifle has been to the proof house in London and I decided on my visit with the proof master to go for a certificate of non proof.
I happily shot on a regular basis with a slow burning powder. I would need to hunt in the cuboard for the type.
I have friends in the US who do the same.
In the event of any accident - and with a 150 year old rifle it wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility, I'm sure there would be a problem with insurance. If a you're a member of a club, their insurance wouldn't cover you and I pretty sure under BASC third party liability there would be a problem.
You might get away with a Nitro BP substitute like Pyrodex etc.
I have used Hodgdon H4198 in the past and now use reloader 7. The association I am in have insurance for shooting this type of vintage arm using this powder
https://www.dropbox.com/s/an008s4046...%20PM.jpg?dl=0
Last edited by Preacher; 05-08-2016 at 09:33 PM.
I agree with Pyrodex.
Reloader 7 is a slow burning rifle powder, it requires a lot less powder and depending on the shoot, I work on half loads which are fine for 100 yards.
http://www.curtrich.com/bpsubsdummies.html
Last edited by Preacher; 06-08-2016 at 05:53 AM.
I, too, shoot H4198 in my .45-70. 32gr behind a 405gr lead FN bullet does well out to 300m, being little more than a plinking load. However, my rifle, designed to shoot lead and not jacketed bullets, is a replication of the Browning /Winchester High wall, and NOT an original. It CAN shoot nitro loads, of course, and is proofed to do so, but it is made of modern steel, not iron, like your old Winchester[s].
For a laff I also shoot Pyrodex RS - for the smoke and boom, of course - since I don't have the necessary paperwork for BP.
I, too, do a lot of shooting in the US and Canada, where are are no national/federal proof houses of any kind. Instead, the ANSI/SAAMI organisations set the standards for pressure testing for manufacturers of modern arms that may use either contemporary or historic propellants. Production arms ARE proof tested in the factory.
Older stuff?
You are on your own.
tac
sent from my raspberry @02:30PT